Faculty and Staff Development

Priest speaking to group of staff members

Faculty and Staff Development

The Office for Mission offers numerous occasions for reflection and dialogue on the university’s Mission and the role of faculty and staff in relation to the Mission.

Info for Faculty or Staff

Please contact the Office for Mission for details on any programs.

Email Us

Our Mission, Convictions and Values

Ongoing Development Opportunities

Faculty and staff are welcome to participate in development opportunities.

New Faculty Retreats

The Office for Mission in cooperation with Academic Affairs offers on-campus and off-campus retreats for new faculty addressing the Mission of St. Thomas and the role that faculty play in advancing the Mission.

Monthly Lunch Discussions

The Office for Mission sponsors lunch discussions for small groups of faculty or staff on mission-related questions. Open invitations are sent out at the beginning of each semester.

Engaging the Mission Seminars for Faculty

The Office for Mission sponsors a cohort of faculty from across the university for a once-a-month discussion through the academic year on Catholic intellectual tradition culminating in a week-long seminar in Rome.

The Office for Mission also sponsors “Mission Discussion 2.0,” a follow-up monthly discussion for faculty who have completed the Rome seminar.

Additional Opportunities

There are special third-party development opportunities available that will help faculty gain new perspectives in advancing the Mission.

Faculty and Staff Leadership

Dr. Bernard Brady

Dr. Brady is the Associate Director of the Office for Mission and a member of the Theology Department. He started his career at St. Thomas in 1989 and has worked in the Office for Mission since 2019.

University Committee on Mission

University Committee on Mission promotes the mission and Catholic identity of the university to better integrate it into the university and be intentional about its implementation, and:

to engage the university community in a discussion of the charism of the university and how we live it.
to promote the integration of Catholic Intellectual Tradition and Catholic Social Teaching into the life of the university, with explicit and sustained attention to issues of diversity, inclusion, and belonging.
to promote the development of leadership and service consistent with our faith tradition.
to promote and sustain a Catholic culture at the university.
to review the university’s strategic priorities for the appropriate inclusion and progress of mission-related goals.
to monitor data-based evidence for gaps and trends in the achievement of mission-related goals, and make appropriate recommendations.
to evaluate the presence of inter-religious dialogue and the climate for non-Catholics,and make appropriate recommendations.
to discuss what it means to act in communion with the church.

Committee members include representation from the President’s Office, Deans, Associate Deans, staff from Student Affairs, Academic Affairs, and Admissions as well as the executive director of the Center for the Common Good. The committee is chaired by the Vice President for Mission.

Contact Michele Goodson for more information about the committee.

Faculty Fellows

The Faculty Fellows support the development and implementation of the annual Engaging the Mission seminars for faculty and staff.

Cara Anthony

Associate Professor, Theology

Melissa Lamb

Professor, Earth, Environment & Society

Timothy Pawl

Professor, Philosophy

�鶹��ý